The Holmes County Inmate Population
The Holmes County inmate population is held in two places that are easy to mix up. The first is the Holmes County Jail, run by the Holmes County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff John Tate. The jail mostly holds people who are waiting for their cases to be decided, plus a smaller group of sentenced county and state inmates. The second is Holmes Correctional Institution, a Florida state prison in Bonifay that is not part of the county jail at all.
That split matters for the numbers. A daily jail count measures local, mostly short-term custody. A state prison capacity measures sentenced beds. The two should never be added together as one Holmes County inmate population figure. The size of the jail count rises and falls with arrests, bond decisions at first appearance, and transfers to state prison after sentencing, while the prison count answers to statewide Florida Department of Corrections sentencing and classification.
Because the county sheriff does not post a public web roster, the everyday way people gauge who is in the Holmes County inmate population is the jail phone line and a public records request, not a live dashboard.
Holmes County Inmate Population Statistics
The clearest state-published figure for the local jail is an average daily population of 156. It comes from the Florida Department of Corrections county detention facility reports, but those reports flag Holmes County as an average-daily-population-only county and list the data date as January 2018, so it is a reference point rather than a live count. No current rated bed capacity for the jail was published by the sheriff or the state. The Holmes Correctional Institution figure below is a state prison capacity and is shown only to keep the two systems separate.
The county's general population gives the jail count some scale. Holmes County is a rural county of about twenty thousand people, and the state's reported jail figure works out to a small share of statewide jail custody. The table below lists the sourced numbers found in official records.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Holmes County population | 20,119 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 estimate |
| Holmes County Jail average daily population | 156 | FDC County Detention Facilities report, Oct 2025 (data date 01/2018, ADP-only) |
| Jail incarceration rate | 7.8 per 1,000 | FDC County Detention Facilities report, Oct 2025 |
| Share of statewide jail ADP | 0.29% | FDC County Detention Facilities report, Oct 2025 |
| Holmes Correctional Institution capacity | 1,185 | FDC Holmes C.I. facility page, 2026 |
| Jail rated capacity | Not published | HCSO and FDC sources inspected |
County demographic data from the U.S. Census QuickFacts page describes the county overall, not the jail. Census figures show who lives in Holmes County. They do not break down who is booked into the jail.
Holmes County Jail Population Reporting and Trends
Year-over-year jail trend data for Holmes County is thin. The same 156 figure repeats across several 2025 state reports, but that is a reporting quirk, not a fresh monthly count. The state notes that Holmes County did not submit data through the full standard instrument, so only the older average-daily-population total is carried forward.
| Report Month | Reported ADP | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| February 2025 | 156 | FDC report; data date listed as 01/2018; no pretrial breakdown |
| September 2025 | 156 | FDC report; same ADP-only pattern |
| October 2025 | 156 | FDC report; county population 20,059; rate 7.8 per 1,000 |
The takeaway is simple. Treat 156 as the latest official reference the state carries for Holmes County, not as a real-time headcount. For who is actually in custody today, the jail phone line is the reliable source.
Who Is Counted in the Holmes County Inmate Population
The sheriff's jail page is direct about the mix of people held. Its primary function is to hold people pending the disposition of their cases by the courts, and it stresses that most of them have not been tried and are presumed innocent. A smaller number are sentenced county and state inmates, and the jail also runs a work release center that helps local agencies.
A detailed county breakdown of the jail population by sex, age, race, or pretrial status was not published in official sources, so none is invented here. The categories below describe the kinds of custody the official pages confirm.
- Pretrial detainees make up most of the jail count, held while charges move through court.
- Sentenced county and state inmates are a smaller group the sheriff's page confirms is also housed there.
- Work release participants are part of the jail's stated mission to help local agencies.
- Sentenced state prisoners are not in the jail count at all once they transfer into Florida Department of Corrections custody.
Statewide context can fill the gap left by missing county detail. Vera's Florida figures put statewide jail admissions at 667,148 and the pretrial share of jail beds near 62 percent, which hints at how heavily pretrial custody drives a Florida jail population. Those are statewide numbers, not Holmes County numbers.
Laws Governing the Holmes County Inmate Population
Florida law sets the rules for what jails count, what they report, and what the public can see. County jail records are open under the state's broad public-records policy unless an exemption applies. Separate statutes require jails to report population data to the state, to be inspected, and to have deaths in custody reviewed by a medical examiner. The Florida Model Jail Standards, which moved to a 2026 manual effective January 1, 2026, give the operating framework that the Holmes County Jail says it follows.
Key Statutes:
Florida Statutes § 951.23 - Defines county detention facilities, requires monthly population and cost data to the state, and sets the Florida Model Jail Standards framework.
Florida Statutes § 951.2302 - Requires at least two jail inspections a year, including one unannounced check for serious violations.
Florida Statutes § 119.01 - Makes county and municipal records open for inspection and copying unless a specific exemption applies.
Florida Statutes § 406.11 - Requires a medical examiner to investigate deaths that occur in custody.
These laws are why a Holmes County jail figure exists at all and why a booking record can be requested. They also explain the limits. The same public-records law that opens the data carries exemptions for active investigations, juvenile records, and protected victim information.
Holmes County and the Florida State Prison Population
When a Holmes County defendant is convicted and sentenced to prison, the person leaves the county jail count and enters the Florida Department of Corrections population. That move is the main reason a name can vanish from local channels and appear in the state locator instead. The county prosecution runs through the 14th Judicial Circuit, and sentencing decisions there feed the statewide system.
Holmes County also happens to host a state prison, Holmes Correctional Institution in Bonifay, with a state-listed capacity of 1,185 adult male beds. Its residents are sentenced felons in state custody, counted by the state, not by the Holmes County Jail. The Florida Department of Corrections inmate population search is the correct tool for anyone in that prison count.
How to Check the Holmes County Inmate Population
Holmes County does not appear to publish a public online jail roster on the sheriff's website, so a search does not start with a portal. It starts with a phone call. The jail line confirms whether a newly arrested person is in custody and helps with bond questions once first-appearance results arrive. The official Holmes County Sheriff's records page handles written requests for booking records when more detail is needed.
Before calling or filing a request, have the person's full name and, if possible, a date of birth and arrest date ready. The records form needs enough identifying detail to find a record.
- Call the jail at 850-547-3681 and choose option #2 to ask whether the person is in custody.
- For bond on a recent arrest, wait until after first-appearance results reach booking, around 11:00 a.m. each day.
- If you need documents, send a records request to the sheriff with the name, date, and the exact record you want.
- For release alerts, register the person through Florida VINE rather than calling repeatedly.
- If the person was sentenced to prison, switch to the state inmate locator instead of the jail.
More detail on each step lives on the Holmes County jail inmate records page.
Current Inmate Lookup Without an Online Roster
Without a web roster, three channels do the work of a current inmate lookup in Holmes County. The jail phone line gives the fastest custody confirmation. A public-records request to the sheriff produces booking documents and, where releasable, a booking photo. Florida VINE adds custody-status and release notifications for victims and families. The sheriff's jail page is shown below as the operational hub for these channels.
The sheriff also points users toward the MobilePatrol app and a newer Holmes County Sheriff FL app for tips and public-safety news, though Holmes-specific roster data inside those apps could not be confirmed. The Holmes County Jail division page lays out the jail's contacts and services in one place.
That page names Jail Administrator Captain Roy Wade and lists the jail address and phone, which is why it is the practical starting point when a Holmes County inmate search has no roster to open.
For custody-status notifications, the Florida VINELink service tracks county jail and state prison custody and can also be reached by phone at 1-877-846-3435.
Past and Released Inmate Records
Finding someone who is no longer in the jail follows a different path. Since there is no public roster, there is also no archived roster to scroll. Historical booking records, arrest reports, and release information are obtained through a public-records request to the sheriff's records section, which is led by Records Custodian Jeana Prescott and can be reached at records_request@holmesso.org.
The request can charge a special service fee of $17.00 per hour after the first fifteen minutes when the work involves heavy clerical effort or redaction, and payment is due before records are released. If the person was sentenced to state prison, their record moves to the Florida Department of Corrections system, which keeps current and prior offense information long after release.
What a Holmes County Inmate Record Shows
Because no public county profile page was found, the table below describes what is and is not available through official channels. It is built from the sheriff's records framework and Florida Model Jail Standards, not from a live roster.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | Not shown on a public web roster; confirm by jail phone or records request. |
| Booking date and number | Held in internal jail records; request through the sheriff if needed. |
| Charges | Booking charges live in jail records; filed charges appear in the court case. |
| Bond | May be confirmed by phone after first-appearance results reach booking near 11:00 a.m. |
| Mugshot | Not posted publicly; request as a booking photo unless an exemption applies. |
| Custody status | Confirmed by jail phone or through Florida VINE notifications. |
Booking photos and how to request them are covered on the Holmes County jail mugshots page.
County Jail vs. State Prison: Where to Look
The single most common mistake in a Holmes County inmate search is treating the jail and the state prison as one system. They are run by different agencies, hold different people, and use different lookup tools. The comparison below keeps them straight.
| Holmes County Jail | State Prison (FDC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pretrial plus short county sentences | Sentenced felons |
| Run By | Holmes County Sheriff's Office | Florida Department of Corrections |
| Where to Look | Jail phone and records request | FDC inmate population search |
| Custody Length | Short term, mostly pretrial | Long term after sentencing |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Once someone leaves county custody, the search moves to statewide and federal locators. The Florida Department of Corrections runs the state prison locator, which covers sentenced felons and state supervision but not county jail or county probation. The federal Bureau of Prisons locator covers federal inmates from 1982 forward, and the ICE Online Detainee Locator covers people in immigration custody. No federal prison or ICE facility is located in Holmes County, but a person from the county can still enter those systems elsewhere.
The state locator accepts the search fields below, and a typical record shows the offender's DC number, photo when available, current facility, and offense history.
The official FDC inmate population search form looks like this.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | No | One or more fields needed; matches names beginning with the letters typed. |
| First Name | Text | No | Begins-with matching. |
| DC Number | Text | No | Six characters; numeric or one letter plus five numbers. |
| Search aliases? | Checkbox | No | Includes aliases when checked. |
| Photo filters | Checkbox | No | Hide photos on list pages or show only records with photos. |
The state warns that location and release dates can change quickly, so a result is a snapshot rather than a guarantee.
Holmes County Detention Facilities
Two facilities make up the county's detention map. They are listed below with a note on who each one holds. The county jail comes first because it is where a new Holmes County arrest is processed.
- Holmes County Jail - The local sheriff-run jail in Bonifay holding pretrial detainees and some sentenced county and state inmates.
- Holmes Correctional Institution - A Florida Department of Corrections state prison in Bonifay for sentenced adult male felons; not a county jail.
No federal Bureau of Prisons facility or ICE detention center is located in Holmes County, so those systems are searched through their national locators rather than a local facility page.
Holmes County Custody Terms
A few terms come up again and again in any inmate search. Plain definitions make the rest of the channels easier to use.
- Pretrial detainee
- A person held while their case is still moving through court, before any trial or plea.
- Average daily population (ADP)
- The average number of people in a jail on a typical day over a reporting period.
- DC number
- The six-character identifier the Florida Department of Corrections assigns to a state prisoner.
- Detainer
- A request from another agency to keep custody of a person, which can block a release even after bond.
- VINE
- A free service that sends custody-status and release notifications for an inmate.
Holmes County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Holmes County inmate population?
The state's latest reference figure for the Holmes County Jail is an average daily population of 156, from Florida Department of Corrections county detention reports. That report flags Holmes County as average-daily-population-only and lists the data date as January 2018, so it is a benchmark, not a live count. The separate state prison in the county, Holmes Correctional Institution, has a capacity of 1,185 and should not be added to the jail figure.
How do I search the Holmes County inmate population?
Start with the jail at 850-547-3681, option #2, since the sheriff does not post a public web roster. For documents, send a records request to the sheriff's office. If the person was sentenced to state prison, use the Florida Department of Corrections inmate population search instead. Federal and immigration custody use the Bureau of Prisons and ICE locators.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
Yes, but not through a roster. Past booking records and release information come from a public-records request to the sheriff's records section. A special service fee can apply for extensive work. Sentenced inmates who went to state prison stay searchable in the Florida Department of Corrections system long after release.
Is the jail the same as Holmes Correctional Institution?
No. The Holmes County Jail is a local lockup run by the sheriff, mostly for pretrial custody. Holmes Correctional Institution is a Florida state prison for sentenced felons. They use different lookup tools, and mixing them up is the most common search error in the county.
Why is there no online jail roster?
The sheriff's official website did not show a public inmate-search form during research. That is common for small rural counties. The phone line and the records request are the official replacements, and Florida VINE covers release notifications.
What if I cannot find someone in any system?
A missing online result does not prove a person is not in custody. Call the jail to confirm, check the court case for recent activity, and search the state and federal locators if custody may have moved. Records may also be withheld when an exemption such as an active investigation applies.